Free General Contractor Practice Exam (25 Questions)
This free general contractor practice exam has 25 questions on the subjects contractor licensing exams test most: jobsite safety and OSHA, building codes and inspections, project management, business and contract law, trade fundamentals and estimating.
Many states split contractor licensing into a trade exam and a business and law exam. Use this test to check where you stand, then study the references listed in your state's candidate bulletin.
Questions
25
Time
~25 min
Aim for
80%+
Sign-up
Not needed
- 1Codes & Inspections
Under the IPC, a plumbing vent pipe must have a minimum diameter that is generally not smaller than:
Answer: A. 1-1/2 inches nominal vent diameter generally
IPC §906 sets minimum vent diameter relative to drain size and developed length, but not less than 1-1/4 in. and typically not less than 1-1/2 in. for a building vent through the roof.
- 2Safety & OSHA
A foreman is reviewing required protections at an open 5-foot-deep excavation. All of the following are required by OSHA EXCEPT:
Answer: B. Fall arrest harnesses for all surface-level workers
Surface workers near an open excavation are not generally required to wear fall arrest harnesses. Spoil setback, accessible egress, and protective systems are required by 1926.651–652.
- 3Project Management
After the bid opening, a general contractor approaches a low subcontractor and asks for an even lower price, then uses the new number to negotiate further. This practice is:
Answer: C. Bid shopping, generally disfavored and sometimes prohibited
Bid shopping erodes integrity in subcontractor pricing and is barred or restricted on many public projects. AGC and ethics standards discourage it on private work as well.
- 4Trade Fundamentals
A plumber installs a hot water expansion tank. The principal reason for the tank in a closed system is to:
Answer: D. Absorb expansion when water is heated
Water expands when heated. In a closed system with a check valve at the meter, an expansion tank absorbs the increased volume to prevent T&P valve discharge or fixture damage.
- 5Trade Fundamentals
An engineer specifies an LVL beam for a load-bearing remodel. LVL stands for:
Answer: A. Laminated veneer lumber
LVL = Laminated Veneer Lumber: thin wood veneers bonded with adhesive and stacked grain-aligned. LVL is stronger and straighter than dimensional lumber at long spans.
- 6Safety & OSHA
A maintenance worker is preparing to clean a jammed conveyor that is normally driven by an electric motor. Under OSHA's lockout/tagout standard, what is the worker's required first step?
Answer: B. Isolate and de-energize the equipment with a lock device
29 CFR 1910.147 requires equipment to be isolated and de-energized—physically locked out—before service to prevent injury from unexpected startup or stored energy. Tags alone are not sufficient under most circumstances.
- 7Safety & OSHA
An employer's bloodborne-pathogens exposure control plan must be:
Answer: C. Written, accessible, and reviewed at least annually
29 CFR 1910.1030 requires employers with occupational exposure to maintain a written exposure control plan, accessible to employees, and review it at least annually.
- 8Codes & Inspections
A homeowner asks her plumber why every kitchen and bathroom sink has a curved trap pipe under it. The plumber correctly explains that the P-trap:
Answer: D. Holds water to block sewer gases from entering
A P-trap retains a water seal that blocks sewer gases from entering the building while still allowing waste water to flow out through the drain.
- 9Safety & OSHA
A worker selects hearing protection. The Noise Reduction Rating (NRR) on the package indicates:
Answer: A. The decibel attenuation under standardized lab tests
NRR is the laboratory-tested attenuation in decibels. OSHA derates the NRR for real-world fit (often subtracting 7 dB and halving the result) when calculating effective protection.
- 10Project Management
An owner sets aside a percentage of the project budget to address unknown unknowns and risk events. This reserve is called:
Answer: B. Contingency reserve
Contingency reserves cover identified-but-uncertain risks. Management reserves separately cover unknown unknowns and are typically held outside the cost baseline.
- 11Business & Law
A worker in California, when classified for wage law purposes, is subject to the 'ABC test.' Under this test, a worker is presumed to be:
Answer: C. An employee unless three exception factors are met
California's ABC test (AB 5) presumes employee status unless the hirer proves all three factors: free from control, performs work outside usual business, and engaged in independent trade. Several other states use a similar test.
- 12Safety & OSHA
A general contractor is choosing between a Class A and Class C portable fire extinguisher for an active electrical room. The correct choice is:
Answer: D. Class C (rated for energized electrical equipment)
Class C extinguishers are tested for use on energized electrical equipment because the agent is non-conductive. Class A and B should not be used on live electrical equipment.
- 13Safety & OSHA
A trenching crew arrives at a 7-foot excavation that was left open overnight after heavy rain. Who is responsible under OSHA for inspecting the trench before workers re-enter?
Answer: A. A competent person designated by the employer
OSHA requires a competent person—trained to recognize hazards and authorized to correct them—to inspect excavations daily and after any change in conditions, including rain.
- 14Project Management
A project manager wants to know whether the project is ahead of or behind schedule based on work completed. He calculates Schedule Variance as:
Answer: B. Earned Value minus Planned Value
Schedule Variance = EV − PV. A positive value means the project is ahead of schedule; a negative value means behind schedule.
- 15Safety & OSHA
Under OSHA's HazCom Standard with GHS labeling, a chemical container must include all of the following EXCEPT:
Answer: C. Worker's social-security identification
GHS-aligned labels include product identifier, signal word ('Danger' or 'Warning'), pictograms, hazard statements, precautionary statements, and supplier identification. Worker SSNs are never on a container label.
- 16Business & Law
A subcontract contains a clause stating that the sub assumes toward the GC the same obligations the GC has toward the owner. This is a:
Answer: D. Flow-down provision (incorporation by reference)
Flow-down clauses incorporate the prime contract's terms into the subcontract so that the GC's obligations to the owner pass through to the subcontractor's work.
- 17Safety & OSHA
A jobsite stairway has six risers leading to a deck. Under OSHA, the stairway must be equipped with handrails because it has more than:
Answer: A. Four risers (or rises 30 inches)
29 CFR 1926.1052 requires stairways with 4 or more risers (or rises greater than 30 inches) to have at least one handrail and a stair-rail system on each unprotected side or edge.
- 18Safety & OSHA
A scaffold being erected will have a working platform 18 feet above the next lower level. Under OSHA, the platform must be guarded with:
Answer: B. Top rail 42 ± 3 in, midrail, and toeboard
Standard guardrail systems require a top rail 42 in (±3 in), a midrail at about half the height, and a 3.5-in toeboard. The same applies to scaffold platforms more than 10 ft above the lower level.
- 19Estimating & Materials
An estimator must add bond premiums to a $1,000,000 project bid. Typical performance and payment bond premium is approximately:
Answer: C. 1% of contract price ($10,000)
Bond premiums typically run 0.5% to 2% of contract price for well-qualified contractors. Higher-risk or new contractors may pay more. The premium is a project cost added to the bid.
- 20Estimating & Materials
An estimator computes the area of a triangular roof section: 30 ft base × 12 ft height. The square footage is:
Answer: D. 180 sq ft total area
Area of a triangle = (base × height) ÷ 2 = (30 × 12) ÷ 2 = 180 sq ft. For pitched-roof estimates, also apply the roof pitch factor to account for slope.
- 21Trade Fundamentals
An electrician installs an outdoor receptacle for landscape lighting. Under the NEC, the receptacle must be:
Answer: A. GFCI-protected with a weather-resistant in-use cover
NEC 210.8 requires GFCI protection for outdoor receptacles, and 406.9 requires weather-resistant devices with in-use covers in damp/wet locations.
- 22Safety & OSHA
A crew is working over open water 8 feet below the deck of a bridge. Under OSHA, before work begins the employer must provide:
Answer: B. Personal flotation devices (USCG-approved) for each worker
29 CFR 1926.106 requires USCG-approved life jackets/buoyant work vests, ring buoys with 90-ft line within 200 ft of workers, and a rescue skiff readily available.
- 23Business & Law
During a sales pitch, a roofer assures a homeowner in writing that his shingles will last 30 years. This statement creates a(n):
Answer: C. Express warranty as part of the bargain
Affirmations of fact relating to the work that become part of the basis of the bargain create express warranties. Implied warranties arise by operation of law without specific statements.
- 24Codes & Inspections
Under the IECC, blower-door testing of new low-rise residential construction must demonstrate air leakage no greater than:
Answer: D. Three to five air changes per hour at 50 Pascals
The 2021 IECC residential air-leakage limit is 3 ACH50 in zones 3–8 and 5 ACH50 in zones 1 and 2. Earlier editions allowed 5 ACH50 broadly; check the version adopted locally.
- 25Estimating & Materials
An estimator quantifies rebar. The unit weight of #5 rebar (5/8-in diameter) is approximately:
Answer: A. 1.043 lb per linear foot
Standard rebar unit weights: #4 = 0.668, #5 = 1.043, #6 = 1.502, #7 = 2.044 lb/ft. Estimators multiply LF × unit weight × price per ton to get the dollar value.
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